1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable terminal, and more particularly to a camera lens assembly for a portable terminal which includes a lens housing rotatably engaged with a housing of the terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, the term “portable terminal” refers to a device that provides radio communication functions through a mobile communication base station between one user and another user, or between a user and a service provider. Various types of content, such as a voice communication service, short message transmission, mobile banking, TV, online gaming, VOD (video on demand), etc., are provided through the portable terminal.
Portable terminals are classified according to their shapes, and include a bar-type terminal in which communication circuits and input/output devices such as a microphone unit and a speaker unit are installed in one housing, a flip-type terminal in which a flip cover is installed in the bar-type terminal, and a folder-type terminal which is opened and closed as a pair of housings are rotated and in which input/output devices are distributed in the housings. Recently, a slider-type terminal has appeared together with the folder-type terminal to improve the portability and convenience of the terminal and satisfy the tastes of users.
In addition, various mobile communication services such as games and moving picture file transmission through the Internet to the portable terminal, mobile banking, VOD, DMB (digital multimedia broadcasting), etc., have been provided. The mobile communication services have become varied as use of portable terminal have become common, the tastes of users are varied, and services providing various contents through the portable terminal can be commercialized.
As information communication technology becomes integrated, the portable terminal functions not only as a simple communication device but also as a complex device including such functions as a camera function, and may also operate as a storage device. Among the complex functions, a camera lens assembly is becoming an indispensable element of the terminal.
The camera lens assembly mounted to a portable terminal may be classified into a fixed-type and a rotation-type. The fixed-type camera lens assembly is installed on one surface of a housing of a terminal and limits damage due to an exterior impact, but is inconvenient in that the direction of the terminal must be changed so that the camera lens thereof points toward the subject being photographed. On the other hand, the rotation-type camera lens assembly is rotatably installed on a housing of the terminal and has an advantage in that a subject can be photographed by rotating a lens housing in various directions without moving the terminal. However, this assembly has a risk of being damaged by an exterior impact, since the lens is exposed to the outside. Moreover, since the rotation-type camera lens assembly is exposed outside the housing of the terminal, diversity of the terminal design is restricted.